5 Myths about Professional Garage Floor Coatings

There are numerous myths floating about regarding professional garage floor coatings. You hear them all the time from Do-It-Yourself sites and people that misunderstand the industry.

For this reason, I thought it would be useful to take a look at some of these untruths and untangle them for you so you can make a more informed decision when you’re looking to coat your garage floor.

1. There’s no difference between garage floor coatings

Some people seem to think that simply buying a kit at the store is that same as getting a professional garage floor coating. It’s not that epoxy garage floor kits are, by default, bad, but the ones you will buy at the store just don’t match up to one that is professionally applied. Of course, if your budget doesn’t’ allow for a professional fitting, you can buy some pretty decent kits online, but there is no match for a professional job in terms of quality.

2. The cost of a professional garage floor coating is astronomical

I wouldn’t pretend that having a professional garage floor coating is cheap, but considering the quality and reliability of it having it done by a professional, I would say it’s worth every penny.

Sometimes you may be quoted a number that seems too high to be real. If it seems that way, perhaps it’s because it is too high. Be sure to do your research and go with a reputable company, not the first company you find in the phone book.

3. Scrub the floor a bit, and it’s ready for an epoxy coating!

If only. To make sure an epoxy will bond well, the concrete floor will need to be prepared to a surface profile of 2 (or better). This means all the surface contaminants, cement paste and more will be removed, and the pores of the concrete will be opened to create a surface that helps adhesion.

For the best results, the surface should be diamond ground or lightly shot-blasted. This, of course, isn’t something you can take lightly and not a simple case of getting out a bucket and a mop!

Professionals will ensure a top job on cleaning the floor and preparing it for the coating, meaning it will last longer.

4. Epoxy is just paint, so just use paint

No, no, no, no! It’s true that epoxy, in the broadest sense of the term, is a paint, but did Picasso ever paint with epoxy? Epoxy consists of epoxy resins and particular hardeners and is much thicker than ordinary paint. Furthermore, epoxies tend to be much better in terms of bond strength and resistance to chemicals, UV and general wear and tear.

So don’t be fooled into thinking you can simply buy paint for your garage floor coating, it simply isn’t up to the job.

5. You have to re-do the garage floor coating every couple of years

If your garage floor coating is done by a professional, and up to professional standards, you certainly won’t need to worry about it after a few years. An industry grade, professional coating should last up to 20 years. Of course, if you’ve tried to apply your own epoxy floor coating and bought from a store, you can expect pretty rapid need for an upgrade by comparison.